In cellular networks, wireless terminals are often battery powered. Hence power usage in wireless terminals is always under scrutiny and any reduction in power usage is beneficial for the end user and the society at large.
In order to save power in the wireless terminal, DRX (Discontinuous Reception) can be used. A DRX cycle consists of an ON duration and an OFF duration. No data can be received during the energy saving OFF duration. If data is received in downlink during the ON duration, or if data is sent via uplink at any time, the wireless terminal will enter an active state and start an inactivity timer.
DRX is configured per wireless terminal and is governed by a set of power state parameters. However, it is not evident how to set the power state parameters. On the one hand, it is desired to save power. But on the other hand, negative effects resulting from setting the wireless terminal in an inactive state, even temporarily, should be avoided if possible.
The current solutions to setting the power state parameters are based on selecting power state parameters based on service class (e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), video conversation, etc.). However, it would be greatly beneficial if the setting of power state parameters could be improved even further, to more closely reflect traffic usage in the wireless terminal.